By Mikayla Van Loon
Montrose was targeted in two separate attacks of vandalism and a break in over the weekend, leaving the community outraged by the behaviour.
Members of the community awoke early on Saturday 11 November to find the war memorial had been vandalised with red spray paint in the lead up to the Remembrance Day service.
The historic cottage in the Town Centre, home of the Montrose Township Group, also had items stolen.
This is the second time the cenotaph in Montrose has been targeted this year, with words etched into the stone in March needing to be buffed out.
Mount Evelyn RSL president Matt Crymble said the sub-branch was “outraged” by the blatant disrespect of a sacred and important site.
“We are outraged that they have targeted a cenotaph that I would say is a loved symbol of respect and honour among most Australian people,” he said.
More recently the Seville War Memorial had the glass panels smashed, leaving a costly replacement for the community.
“Mount Evelyn RSL strongly condemns and is angered by this continued desecration of our war memorials,” Mr Crymble said.
It’s not the first time war memorials and cenotaphs have been damaged, with a number of incidents recorded over the last few years at Lilydale, Mount Evelyn and Montrose.
Mr Crymble did, however, thank the quick action of Yarra Ranges Council for stepping in so quickly on Saturday morning to remove the graffiti to ensure the Remembrance Day service could go ahead.
Yarra Ranges Council built environment and infrastructure director Hjalmar Philipp said the alert came through from the community.
“A community member reported the graffiti to us after hours and our contractor, Yarra Ranges Fire Management, attended to remove the graffiti in time for Saturday’s Remembrance Day activities,” he said.
“We’d like to thank the community member who contacted us, and our contractor for their fantastic work.
“It’s disappointing that someone caused this damage. If anyone in the community spots someone committing graffiti, they should contact Victoria Police or Crime Stoppers Victoria to provide more information.”
Police confirmed they were investigating the vandalism.
“The memorial, which is located on Mt Dandenong Tourist Road, was graffitied with political messaging sometime between 6.30pm on 10 November and 5.45am on 11 November,” Victoria Police said in a statement.
“Police are appealing for anybody with information or who witnessed the memorial being damaged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit crimestoppers.com.au”
Mr Crymble said he was grateful to see the police response and presence so quickly after the damage occurred.
“Victoria Police should be thanked. They got onto it straight away and began patrolling other local cenotaphs to prevent and ensure no other damage happened,” he said.
The act of vandalism didn’t deter the community in coming out in numbers to commemorate Remembrance Day, with the Town Centre filled with people.
The Montrose Township Group has taken to social media to plead with the community that if any information about the break in is known, to contact Mooroolbark Police Station.
“These are things we use for our community events, and importantly, are things we would use if our community ever experienced an emergency where relief and recovery were needed,” a post read.
“Any help would be greatly appreciated – we are feeling sad about this right now. But we know these are just things, and what is most valuable is our connections with one another. So thanks in advance for your help and support.”
Items stolen include Township group t-shirts, hi-vis vests, banners, a first aid kit and an event box.
